It’s Time for Trauma-Informed Design
By Gail Swanson
October 9, 2025
In the field of civic technology, it’s clear why people working with the public would want to have trauma informed practices in place. Medical providers, social service providers’ front line staff, researchers and service designers all have an obvious need to understand how trauma affects people and how to best serve people who are dealing with the effects of trauma. It’s built into their jobs.
Today, companies need ways to test their product design and messaging for unintended problems. Just ask Sydney Sweeney and American Eagle Jeans or Quibi. Brands build trust with their audiences, leading to brand loyalty and recurring revenue—crucial to any business’ survival. However, a singular person can spotlight an out of touch misstep, from company leadership or a bad product decision. Public trust destroyed in an instant. We need tools to identify blunders and prevent harm quickly in this globalized, rapidly-changing culture.
The ubiquitous integration of AI into every technology platform has opened a new world of unintended effects for users and their data. The news is dotted with case studies of the human costs of AI gone wrong. Teams building and experimenting with AI features need tools to help them discover novel risks before they get exposed in the marketplace.
The methods researchers have developed to prevent harming participants in the field are also effective for product designers, product managers, and marketers. Whether you are working with at-risk members of the public, developing services that you want to be usable by everyone, or selling a product innovation, trauma informed design and research methods help you assess your actions for unanticipated consequences before you step out the door.
If you would like to learn more about Trama-Informed Design, join our upcoming class.
Introduction to Trauma-Informed Design and User Research Methods
When: Thursday, November 6 · 11am - 12:30pm CST
Where: Online